rathore Q & A

Q & A with Raghavendra Rathore

1 What is your design philosophy?

To use fashion as a craft through good design and to achieve the highest standard of luxury in the true innate Indian way for the Rathore brand.

2 How would you identify with your designs?

I believe strongly in reaching out into the rich past [the old world] for inspiration, and then mixing it with contemporary trends and fresher ideas to create a “new appeal”.

3 What is the inspiration/ motivation behind your designs (inside/out)?

Designing in the US is far more intangible then designing in India; the inspiration if designing for a global market is more mature and originates from social trends and needs of a society where as in India, a designer is forced to work, very close to the type of clientele that one caters to, as the market size is still limiting.

4 The Global to Local philosophy of work?

Most established Indian designers started their businesses only 10 to 12 years ago and are pioneering the branded apparel market in India, however the uniqueness of climate fashion perception and purchase Power together make retail in India, that much harder than the West and hence the effort that most of the reputable designers put in on each collection is far greater than their counterparts abroad.

5 How do you deal with the themes of traditional and modern in your work?

I believe tradition and values from the past create a fantastic library of ideas to create a foundation for growth of indo Western design.

6 How does dress and attire play a role in the globalization process of a nation ( in context to India)?

With the world shrinking, eminent personalities, people of repute and individuals who are in contact with the rest of the world become indirect ambassadors for the way a nation “feels” and if clothes, they say makes the man/woman, and the man/woman is the society, then there is a lot to be said about how dressing up portrays a nation.

7 How does attire represent identity?

The clothes that we wear disseminate an impression so strong that it becomes one with the character that we are, all through our life we are branded by our look and when we are gone, people still remember us by the look.

8 Is attire a cultural construct?

Yes it is an important ingredient in modern society and is clearly a required part of the larger puzzle, where a house or a car or even education is parts of the whole.

9 Does fashion represent a culture or is it part of a subculture?

Fashion is a statement of the populist, which is also a straight line and style is the fluctuations that you see on it -- what affects style most is culture.